Decoding a Player
by Marisol Gaddi
Summary: They say a man becomes a player because of one woman who got away, and they compensate with the lost by having more than one lover at one time. This is the story of a player who proved that statement right. /Full summary inside. AU. ToraxMisa./
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: **I am not Hiro Fujiwara so I do not own Maid-sama! *sobs*

**Warnings:** Mild coarse language. Evil Igarashi.

**Summary:** They say a man becomes a player because of _one _woman who got away, and they compensate with the lost by having more than one lover at one time. Well, whoever _"they"_ were are spot on especially in the case of Tora Igarashi - - the player - - with Misaki Ayuzawa - - the woman who got away.

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**Prologue**

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Tora Igarashi, age twenty-six, was brought out off his musings when he heard someone clear their throat in the most conspicuous way that a person could in a no BS high-class restaurant.

He looked up innocently at his wife.

"You were daydreaming again," she accused, annoyed.

He smirked. "Yes."

"About what was distracting you from this wonderful evening, pray tell?" her voice was venomous in his ears.

"'_Who'_, actually."

The woman grew cross. "Let me correct it, then: _Who_ was distracting you from this wonderful evening, pray tell, _darling_?"

Tora chuckled. "My first love," he answered truthfully, his smile growing wider and cockier.

The glass the woman across him was holding nearly slipped off her fingers.

Yeah. He was thinking about something like_ that_ while having an intimate dinner out with his wife. But he could hardly help himself from _not_ doing that for it was something that had become a sort of a habit for him, a compulsion, a need that was similar to breathing – essential and automatic.

His wife stared at him in shock and he merely went back to his daydreaming again.

A wave of euphoria drowned him instantly.

Yes. The thought of _her_ never once ceased to make him truly blissful.

It was his drug.

_She_ was his drug.

She was his first love.

_The girl who had made him feel alive, happy… good._

She was also his first heartbreak.

_The girl who led him into love's playing field. _

"Oh, how beguiling you really are…" Tora murmured to himself.

_Misaki Ayuzawa._

_

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**End of Prologue**

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**Authoress' Notes:**

Bad Hentai-ga! BAD! *shoos Tora away*

Why, hello there! ^^ Thank you very much for checking out my 8th Maid-sama fan fic! (Whoa! Why am I still not falling over another fandom? -.-)

Yup. I'm here again with a new multi-fic but this time it's _ToraXMisa_ centric! Not much like that around here, eh? Yeah… just wanted to give this idea a try. I mean, it's just four chapters anyway. :D And despite Tora's evilness, he's still one hell of a charming guy. *drools* So, he deserves to have the limelight once in a while. Right?

If anyone's missing Usui… well, he'll only make an appearance on the third chapter. Awww…. come on. The (Maid-sama) world doesn't revolve around that smexy guy… *watches her nose grow three feet long*

A-Anyway, to those who're looking for updates on _'Morons'_, here it is: I have developed a writer's block there so that's why I'm making another story in the mean time. *sighs* It's so sad. :|

Uhm… yeah. Jumbled thoughts again. Sorry.

Well, I hope you peeps enjoyed reading this so much that you'd review and/or stay tuned! XD … please?

Hearts,

**Mari **(whose gonna take a nap… now. _Zzzzzzzz…_)

_January 9, 2011_


	2. The Meeting

**Disclaimer: **I'm eighteen now... so I really need to do this. -_- Maid-sama ain't mine!

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**Chapter 01:**

**The Meeting**

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They met in the most unconventional manner.

Okay… so not really. It seemed like that anyway for Tora because it was his first. Shoot him for making it to glorious in his head.

"Young master, I will be taking a different route for today," his driver, with an ever present serene face, informed him.

"Do what you want," was what he dryly said but he silently approved of the middle-aged man's decision for the weather looked ominous enough to cause traffic in the main highway and he needed to be home early for an important meal with his father and a business partner.

The driver nodded then took a right turn at the next opening and the vehicle soon entered a whole stretch where houses of varying sizes and designs compactly lined at each side. The street was smaller but it was almost close to deserted compared to the impending heavy traffic that the main street seemed to promise. He would arrive at their home with even more time to spare and, again, he mentally commended his driver for his decision.

The rain poured relentlessly that afternoon, and why Tora had bothered to even notice the sour weather when he was in the dry and warm comfort of one of his family's limousine was because he had heard a loud splash that was followed by muffled yelp as the vehicle drove into a deep hole when it had rounded up another corner. A pinch of curiosity made him turn his head to the left, to where the sound had came from, and he immediately saw a girl drenched with rain water from head to toe despite having a yellow umbrella held above her head.

"Hey." Passivity leaked in his voice as he called to the driver who, in turn, looked at him through the rearview mirror. "You got someone wet."

The driver gaped at him confusedly before following the direction his master's thumb was pointing at. "_Oh!_" he exclaimed before putting the car on neutral by the sidewalk and excusing himself as he hurriedly stepped out, umbrella clumsily resting on his shoulder.

He watched with mild-interest as his driver bowed numerous times in apology to the poor wet girl who simply smiled gently at him as she wiped herself dry with a pitiful tissue paper.

Tora turned back.

Then gazed at the two again.

His eyes focused on the girls face and noted how remarkable her smile was – it was wide, real. It was something he had not seen for a long while now and it was strangely making him feel jittery inside. Invisible knots in his stomach loosened; his heart void of heavy weights.

Her smile made him want to smile, too, and not the polite kind of smile his father taught him in his childhood whenever he was brought along to business-related parties and such.

The next thing he knew was that he was also starting to slowly get drenched.

The driver looked at him in alarm. "Y-Y-Y-Young master! You're getting wet!"

But it was as if he had not heard his tumbling words and he continued to move towards them, his citrine orbs holding the girl's eyes until he stood directly in front of her. The girl flushed at his intense, unwavering stare.

Nevertheless, she smiled at him, tentatively now, though. With a nod, the girl said, "H-Hello."

He didn't say anything for he had gotten preoccupied on taking in the site of her Short, soot-black hair. Clear, golden brown eyes. Lightly tanned skin. She was petite built and reached only below his chin. Her clothes, he recognized quickly, was from a nearby public middle school indicating that she was probably just his age.

_Hmmm_… nothing at all special-looking with her but why was he so – dare he say – intrigued by her?

Tora reached to his pocket, pulled out a folded white handkerchief, and gave it her. She stared at him, dazed, but had managed to take the cloth in her hands.

The girl managed to remember her manners and opened her mouth to say 'thank you' but was rendered speechless once more when he quickly shrugged off his school blazer and placed it over her delicate shoulders.

He would have laughed at her deer-caught-on-headlights look but he couldn't for he was shocked by his actions too. Instead, he turned to his driver and said "We'll take her to her home."

"Yes, young master Igarashi."

Tora was about to turn when the girl suddenly spoke out sharply. "Uhm… e-excuse me but aren't you supposed to ask for my permission first? I'm just standing right in front of you."

He faced her fully once more. _Ah._ A feisty girl was lurking behind the gentle smile. Normally, he'd be pissed to hear someone courageously talked back to him but her ill-toned words seem to have made her more endearing in his eyes.

A smile finally broke free in his face and he gave a gentlemanly bow. "Would you like us to escort you, little lady, to your home to compensate for getting you wet?" He stood up straight again. "Is that better?"

For a second or two, the girl just looked up at him blankly. However, her cheeks, then, became tainted scarlet red, both sides of her mouth tilted awfully down, and her brows scrunched up so tightly that it almost came together. _Uh-oh._

"No, thank you," she answered bitingly. "I live quite nearby." She handed his blazer and handkerchief back to him, and, with a slight bow to both men, ran off to the opposite direction.

Well, fuck.

Tora watched her run away and the further she got, the more irritated he became.

"Y-Young mas–"

"Take me home, _now_," came the dead cold voice of the drenched young Igarashi Co. heir.

The driver flutteringly complied and led Tora back to the limousine. In a matter of seconds, the vehicle was back in motion.

Tora sat silently moping at the back of the car, a lot of _'how could she's'_ running over inside his head.

How could she talk back to him?

How could she embarrass him like that?

How could she ensnare him with a simple smile?

How could she not accept his invitation?

How could she just leave with him still thinking about her?

Tora grimaced.

An idea popped into his head then and he deviously smiled. Tora took his cell phone from his pocket, dialed an oh-so familiar number, and waited.

_"Why, good afternoon, Mr. Igarashi. What can I do for you today?"_

Tora Igarashi did what normal "smitten" rich young men would do.

"Oh, just the usual, is all."

Have the girl investigated.

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**End of Chapter 01**

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**Authoress' Notes:**

Hellooooooooooo~ ^_^

I'm feeling very happy at the moment! Wiiiiiiiiii~

Ha-ha... anyway, here's chapter one of DaP and I'm sure it's quite obvious who the girl here is. If I had made her OOC, well, following the original arc, it was mentioned that Misaki wasn't as difficult as she is currently than when she was in her first years in middle school. So, I am working around that idea for the first few chapters. Hope it isn't a bother. ^^

So, what are your thoughts regarding Tora and Misaki's meeting? Cliche? Just right? Awesome? Mah? Ha-ha. I'm really enjoying writing this, I mean, Tora is so fun to manipulate... er... write too! *cackles*

Well, hope you guys enjoyed reading this as much as I did writing it!

Thanks for reading! :D

Hearts from an eighteen year old,

**Mari **

_January 13, 2011_

P.S.: You guys might even want to slip in a little 'Happy birthday! Waaaai~' there in your reviews. ^.^


	3. The Tension

**Disclaimer: **Hiro Fujiwara is the wonderful creator, owner, and queen of the Maid-sama universe and its characters. I am merely, forever a fan. :')

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**Chapter 02:**

**The Tension**

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"Is it the nice lady from the other day you're going to look for, young master?"

"Yeah, why?" Tora shuffled on his seat uneasily. _'Why'd I even answer?!'_

"I think she's a lovely girl," he crooned.

"Meh. Who cares! And that's none of your business."

The driver chuckled, shook his head, and turned on the radio. Tora mentally remarked, the driver looked far too happy about this unusual side trip and has been acting too comfortably around him lately that it unnerved him. It was as if the old man knew something essential about him that he himself didn't.

Slightly annoyed, Tora decided to just ignore the old man and let his mind drift back to last night's events.

A day had passed since Tora had that chance encounter with the plain, black-haired commoner. He was a having a rare but not surprisingly uneasy dinner with both of his parents present that night. His father, businessman extraordinaire, was yapping off his phone with one of his many million business partners most likely, while a fork of a piece of tonight's meal hang halfway towards his mouth. His mother, the retired supermodel, on the other hand, played idly with the leftover croutons of her salad, looking rather dejected. It was a typical Igarashi family get-together.

Only it was not entirely typical tonight. Halfway through their meal, one of their butlers entered the dining hall and announced: "Master Tora, an urgent mail arrived for you just now."

Though his interest was truthfully roused, without even inclining his head from his plate to feign obliviousness, the young master answered: "Just leave it in my bedroom."

The butler bowed, acknowledging the command, and silently left. Minutes later, Tora excused himself from the table and left, not even bothering to see if anyone paid mind.

Tora found a single manila envelope resting atop his study table. He grabbed it, and found it surprisingly almost lightweight and only fairly thick. With his curiosity piqued, he took the document out. His sharp eyes zeroed in on the single photograph of her, taken from her school ID card he presumed, confirming that his guy got the right girl.

Tora read over the file and came to one conclusion: she was as plain and average and normal and every other neutral adjective she can be. Born and raised in a modest home with a father, a mother, and a younger sister in a simple neighborhood. The father was a white-collar worker while the mother stayed and cared at home. He expected nothing else. So it made no sense to him why he now stood outside her crummy public middle school, while still in his own Miyabigaoka uniform, searching her face among a sea of other students going home.

'_Where is she?'_ he thought with impatience as he leaned back on his limousine's glossy black door. He grew more and more irritated as minutes passed, and garnered more and more blatant stares and whispers from other students yet still she was a no-show. He was about to turn around and leave when he caught site of her in the corner of his eyes.

Their eyes met a heartbeat later.

The girl stopped instantly on her tracks, paled, then turned around to walk back inside the school.

"What?!" he barked in disbelief. The girl jumped in surprise and poised to run. Quick to his feet, Tora crossed the distance between them in swift, long strides and grabbed her by the arm. "Not a freaking chance, Misaki Ayuzawa."

Misaki snapped around. "How'd you know my name?"

Before Tora could reply, the sound of a whistle pierced through the air followed by a holler. "Hey! What's going on here?"

"_Dammit!_" Misaki muttered to herself before facing the school's security guard. "Nothing. Nothing at all!"

"Outsiders are not allowed within school premises," he said as he eyed Tora.

Misaki smiled at this, relief plastered all over her face, but before she could say anything, Tora beat her to it. He put in his most charming and radiant smile, and said, "I'm her cousin. I'm thinking of transferring to this school and she was just about to show me around. And passing by the administrative office too, of course, on the way out."

"Is that so?" the guard remarked. Tora nodded like an overly obedient puppy. Misaki couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Alright, then," he said with a dismissive wave.

Misaki looked at the retreating guard with disgust and then at the smirking boy still holding her by the arm. "You are a demon, Tora Igarashi."

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"You're not allowed here. You're going to get me in trouble," Misaki said with a grumble as she slid the door open to her classroom as per the insistent request of her captor.

"So this is what a public school looks like from the inside? Not bad," Tora mused as he took a seat in one of the room's wooden chairs. "So, again, how do you know my name?"

Misaki blushed. "H-How about you? How do _you_ know my name?"

"Simple," he said absentmindedly as he secretly wondered where in the room she sat. "I asked one of the men working under my father to investigate you."

"_I-I-Investigate?!_"

"So, how about you?"

"How about me what?"

He glared at her expectantly.

"Uhm… s-simply!" she mocked. "I… uhm… heard when y-you're driver called you!"

"He didn't call me by my full name. And I believe he only said it once."

Misaki huffed and crossed her arms, saying in a rush: "I just had to Google 'pompous rich-ass bastard'. Your picture came out immediately." Then added, in a calmer tone: "Also, I think everyone with a television at home knows about your family. Your surname sounded familiar when I first heard it but it didn't make sense why you'd be in that neighborhood so I didn't put two and two together immediately."

"So… you researched on me too, eh?" Tora said with a nervous chuckle as he wondered what else she now knew about him. She was awfully calm and collected telling him about her knowledge of his family's wealth and fame. If she were any other girl, they'd be all over him by now. _'Weird girl…'_

"Oh, please! I'm not a creeper like you. I-I just got a bit curious is all."

"Yeah, whatever," he dismissed though suddenly, with her words, his heart beat faster and his palms went clammy.

Misaki seemed irked at the gesture. "What do you want from me anyway?"

"Believe me. That's something I'd like to find out as well, Misaki."

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The next day…

"You're here… again," Misaki pointed out as she stood and stared annoyingly at the blonde boy sitting inside the now familiar limousine.

Tora merely took off his sunglasses to look at her and say, "You like eating spaghetti, right? Hop on, I know a good Italian restaurant nearby."

"What _don't_ you know about me?"

"You better get moving," he said, completely ignoring her yet again. "You have to be home by 5PM or your mother will start to worry, am I correct?"

Knowing she'd never win against "stickup, spoiled rich brats", without anymore resistance, she got in the vehicle and let him take her God knows where.

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"This is starting to feel uncomfortable again. And my mom's expecting me to be home in thirty minutes," Misaki stated, breaking the hour-long silence that's been suffocating her since they arrived in the quaint restaurant. They were the only ones there – making Misaki wonder if the rich bastard across from her had anything to do with it, which the answer to that was probably a 'yes' – and despite _him_ being the one who invited her there in the first place, he was acting like the pompous brat that he is.

Little did Misaki know that the said rich bastard was as much as uncomfortable and rattled as he has been in the past hour. He wasn't even expecting her to come with him! He wouldn't even be in this stupid situation if it weren't for that stupid, overconfident driver…

* * *

"_Are you not going to visit that lovely little lady today, young master?"_

"_No. I-I have no reason to visit her," Tora stammered, shocked by the sudden question. 'This guy…'_

_Tora saw the driver's eyes widen at the rearview mirror. "Is not wanting to see her again reason enough… uhm, young master?" he asked._

"_Who even said I wanted to see her again?"_

"_I think you should invite her to eat."_

* * *

'_Ugh! That old man is gonna die,' _Tora thought.

"I am not going to apologize to you, if that's what you came here for."

"Are you always this infuriating?" Tora barked maliciously, carelessly.

Misaki looked about fed up and, for a fraction of moment, did she just look… hurt?

"Infuriating? Me?! Are you serious? Then how would you describe yourself? I've only known you for three days and so far the impression I have of you is no good. You're nothing but a typical rich _boy_: too proud, immature, rude, and self-absorbed. You think everyone is inferior to you and can be enslaved with money. And let me guess? Your father spends more time working in his office and your mother is too preoccupied with her not-so-secret love affair with her masseuse than with their only son. You probably always act too cool that you've never been honest even to yourself but deep inside your just a lonely boy who always talk crap to protect himself!"

The tension in the air was impalpable and the only sound in the room was the heavy breathing coming from the enraged girl. Tora merely stared at her, no emotion written in his face. But just as Misaki's heart was about to calm down, Tora finally spoke, poison coating his words: "Are you about done with your little tirade?"

Misaki screeched. She took out her wallet and left every single bill she had on the table then left without another word.

* * *

As soon as Misaki stepped out of the restaurant, she realized that she didn't even know where she was._ 'Like hell will I go back inside there…'_

She then spotted from the corner of her eye the bastard's limousine parked in the corner of the building, walked towards the driver's side, and tapped lightly on the window, which quickly slid down.

"What can I do for you, little miss?" the driver asked with a gentle smile. "Where is the master?"

"I have to go home already and he's not yet through with eating. May I ask where the nearest bus station is?"

Sensing something was afoot, the old man offered to take her home himself, which Misaki of course, refused. The driver inwardly sighed as he presumed what had transpired; disappointed at his young master. "I know it is not my place to speak in this manner nor should I pry or get involved but I've never seen the young master act like this – so unsure and without composure – in the many years I've worked under the Igarashi family."

Misaki looked at him surprised. "I-I don't understand…"

The driver chuckled then told her the direction of the bus station.

"Thank you, Mister…?"

"Tesuo Kenja."

"Thank you for being so kind, Mr. Kenja," Misaki said with a smile and a bow of her head. "I will trouble you no longer. Goodbye."

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**End of Chapter 02.**

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**Authoress' Notes:**

Hi! *waves frantically* Still remember me? Ha-ha!

I know! Finally, after almost three years, I decided to update this one. I'm really sorry for making you followers wait so long. :( As I have mentioned in another fic, I am now studying medicine and I'm still "adjusting" (read: failing miserably *cries*). But none of that drama! It's the semester break so whoop! Temporary freedom!

Everything I wrote in here wasn't anything I thought it would be. It turned to a different direction I didn't intend for it to go but I'm nonetheless happy with it! I'm finding tormenting Tora quite fun. Oops. Ha-ha.

Well, I hope you guys are still bearing with me and enjoy this long update of Decoding a Player. :) I won't make promises on when to update what so as not to get your hopes up but I would like to say thank you to those who continue to read, review, and private message me throughout the months (or has it been a year?) that I've been active. I hear you guys and it makes me happy knowing that my other stories are still being read (and, really, my voice being heard) out there even if our beloved series has already reached its conclusion.

Thank you so much! Happy All Soul's day!

xoxo,

Mari

November 1, 2013


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